Orders of the Day — Harbours Bill – in the House of Commons am 12:00 am ar 16 Mawrth 1964.
Vice-Admiral John Hughes-Hallett
, Croydon North East
I beg to move, in page 39, to leave out lines 30 to 37 and to insert:
(m) in section 28(9) and (10), for the references to a harbour authority and to subsection (8)(i) there shall be substituted respectively references to a local lighthouse authority who are not a harbour authority and to subsection (8)(a).
Like the previous Amendments, this is a drafting Amendment but perhaps it requires a word of explanation. It simply seeks to replace paragraphs (m) and (n) by a single paragraph (m), which, it is thought, will improve the wording of the Clause.
A parliamentary bill is divided into sections called clauses.
Printed in the margin next to each clause is a brief explanatory `side-note' giving details of what the effect of the clause will be.
During the committee stage of a bill, MPs examine these clauses in detail and may introduce new clauses of their own or table amendments to the existing clauses.
When a bill becomes an Act of Parliament, clauses become known as sections.
As a bill passes through Parliament, MPs and peers may suggest amendments - or changes - which they believe will improve the quality of the legislation.
Many hundreds of amendments are proposed by members to major bills as they pass through committee stage, report stage and third reading in both Houses of Parliament.
In the end only a handful of amendments will be incorporated into any bill.
The Speaker - or the chairman in the case of standing committees - has the power to select which amendments should be debated.
